06 Mar 2026 11:22:27
It feels like a bit of an over reaction to us losing to Newcastle. Fans turning on Carrick and Mainoo and revisiting past negative points.

It was really frustrating losing to Newcastle. Honestly, if I was a Newcastle fan I'd be asking why the team hasn't applied that much effort in their previous 6/7 home games, but United is their biggest game of the season and they are desperate to create a rivalry with United, so it was always going to be a tough game.



As for United, the next game will tell us what we need to know about Carrick and also the players and whether they have mentally turned a corner. I was gutted after Wednesday but on reflection, first game lost in 2026, been on a good run to get to 3rd and we've lost but still in 3rd place. We've certainly had darker days in recent times so just need to take a deep breath and look forward to the Villa game.

1.) 06 Mar 2026
06 Mar 2026 11:45:48
I don't necessarily think the reaction was to the result, but to the performance. Let's not forget we were playing against 10 men.

Since beating City and Arsenal, we have been stumbling through games and snatching things last minute or against the run of play. Carrick talks a lot about 'the United way', but I'm certainly not seeing it.

If we were attacking, urgent, energetic, and taking hold of games, and we lost, that would be one thing. The reality is that we are not any of those things, and positive results have carried more than a slice of luck.

2.) 06 Mar 2026
06 Mar 2026 12:40:24
Think most of the criticism is legitimate. Obviously, the people using it as some sort of stick to beat Carrick and reference Amorim are ludicrous. I mean, Carrick could lose every game for the rest of the season and have a better win rate lol.

But the last 3 or 4 performances have been underwhelming, no width, little tempo, and some poor substitutions.

We keep letting the game drift, which for a team playing once a week barely is inexcusable.

For the first 20-25 minutes of the second half, against 10 men Newcastle, we didn't have a shot, it was bizarre.

Best case scenario is we limp into the Champions League places, performing well enough to get results but not too well so that Carrick gets the job permanently and we can find a top manager for next season.

3.) 06 Mar 2026
06 Mar 2026 12:56:11
Criticism of both is fair, so long as it is balanced, and we should also praise as well.

Carrick has done really well, steadied the ship, and brought results where we were not getting them. Performances started off well but have definitely dropped. Is this him, the players, or purely a case of getting the results being the only importance?

Mainoo has had good and bad moments, but the bad can look really bad. At times it looks like Amorim was right and he needs to develop physically, and other times he links play and is really good. Is he in the right position for him, does he need a certain type of player to allow his best attributes (a Kante-type, energetic holding midfielder who frees him to roam).



This season feels like an odd anomaly, we have few games yet do not look like we are hugely benefitting fitness-wise from this. We certainly have periods, but over the past few games we have not hit the ground running and maintained this. Whether there is an argument that we are lacking match fitness and have too few games.... who knows.

Let's hope that Newcastle was a blip, a reality check, and we go on another run.

4.) 06 Mar 2026
06 Mar 2026 13:24:55
My reaction was due to lack of urgency, effort and energy. Not the result itself. I am frustrated that we put no crosses into the box for Sesko, particularly that, against 10 men, our fullbacks continued to pass sideways and backwards instead of overlapping, driving forwards and crossing.

Also, our midfield was tapping the ball around like they had no ideas. We should have been laying siege to their goal.

5.) 06 Mar 2026
06 Mar 2026 17:05:44
Exactly, Dodgy.

6.) 06 Mar 2026
06 Mar 2026 19:55:52
It's an average team with an average manager. Not sure what you all expect. We've got no real number 9, not one good CB at the club, poor full backs, and not the greatest midfield, and you're all moaning cos we lost one game. I would say we've been damn lucky it's only the one, but still a vast improvement over the RA debacle, so I will take that.

If we can finish 4th it's a masterstroke by Carrick.
After the World Cup, a new manager comes in and, looking like Martinez, Carrick will be offered number 2. Not sure Carrick accepts that though, but we need a more experienced manager, and certainly need some better players.

7.) 07 Mar 2026
07 Mar 2026 08:12:55
The Newcastle game just gave us a reminder of the real issues with our squad. The lack of quality in depth. It's no coincidence that the two worst performances we have had under Carrick have been in midweek games, games where we are playing our second game within 3 or 4 days.

People have mentioned Carrick's lack of rotation as an issue, which is a recurring theme from our time under Amorim. But no one is pointing out that against Newcastle our bench was:
Bayindir, Malacia, Heaven, Dalot, Ugarte, Amad, Zirkzee, Fletcher and Kukonki.

If we are honest, only Amad and maybe Dalot are good enough to be starters, and there are plenty of fans who don't think Dalot is good enough.

Bayindir has categorically proven he isn't good enough. So have Malacia and Ugarte.
Zirkzee is a player with a lot of ability, but who doesn't seem suited to the EPL.


Leaving just Heaven, Kukonki and Fletcher, three teenagers.

We are missing options like MdL, Martinez, and Mount due to injury, all three would give us great options. Yet let's be honest, all of them have a well earned reputation for being injury prone.

This squad desperately needs another 5 players of first team quality to give us the ability to just maintain our performances when playing twice a week.

Carrick, just like Amorim before him, has his hands tied when we have two games a week, and his lack of options means he has to stick with the same players over and over again, unable to give them a rest, to rotate, or to drop them when their form dips.

These recent performances are less a criticism of Carrick and more just further evidence of how much further we have to go with rebuilding this squad.

8.) 08 Mar 2026
08 Mar 2026 03:15:10
2 mids is the bare minimum we need, imo.
If it were me setting the plan and targets...

Gomes (Wolves) 6.
Anderson 8.
Branthwaite CB.
Robinson LB.
Livramento/Munoz RB.

I'd be targeting those to be starters for next year.





Further to those I'd be looking at Wilson from Fulham and Senesi from Bournemouth on free transfers to bolster the squad.

You all already know who to get rid of.